fast377

iTrader: (52)

Anyone know if a 135 amp mig is big enough to weld in a roll cage? They will supposedly weld up to 3/16" steel, which is pushing it for a roll cage.

I'm looking to buy a welder also if anyone is looking to get rid of one.

hawk232

iTrader: (4)

we just got done welding in a 6 pt cage with a little mig like you speak of... worked perfect for us...

Brains

iTrader: (7)

135 amps running full tilt is barely enough for a typical roll cage. You'll have to make very certain you get good penetration.

JeepinBash

iTrader: (6)

it depends on what you are using to build it with. if you are using like .120 wall then it might be ok but i am not for sure. i do have a Hobart 175 for sale. it is rated at 1/4 inch in one pass. i have welded up to 5/16 with it but i would not recommend it. has hookups for gas and has a full roll of wire in it. pm if you are interested. thanks

xfactor_pitbulls

iTrader: (16)

Is it moly or mild steel? The moly in .080/.090 requires about the same heat as MS in .110/.120. 135 amp maxed out should do it, it would be helpful if you put a slight bevel on the joint edges with a file. If you are welding moly be sure and use stainless wire.

Brandon

fast377

iTrader: (52)

Thanks for the input guys. It is mild steel tubing. I think I'm going to break down and buy a miller 230v 175a mig. We'll see though.

xfactor_pitbulls

iTrader: (16)

If you are going to go ahead and get a 230v, dont skimp. Get a 225/250 amp. You will be surprised of how much better the versatility is.

kabbott

I dont think you will be happy with 135 amps, like the last poster said if you can justify the expense go with 225+/- much more versatile and can support spray transfer for heavier projects.

fast377

iTrader: (52)

I would love to get a 250a! But I can't afford the $800 180a miller let alone $1500 for the 250a. I figure the 180a will get me by for now...hopefully.

xfactor_pitbulls

iTrader: (16)

You can get 175A 120v units is why I said to get the larger amp in a 220 unit. That way you would have easier use for portability(by using 110/120). As long as the plug you are using has a 50a dual pole breaker you are rock and roll.

fast377

iTrader: (52)

Didn't realize that...I'll have to check that out.

Silverback

HUH??? If you’ve got a double breaker across both legs then you’ve got 220V

As far as the rest of this… yea, it’s plenty.

I’ve done it using a Lincoln SP135 a few times as well as my Hobart handler 135, and the local big time fabricator (as in builds real race car tubular chassis, not just adding cages…) swears by his ancient Miller 135 for most of this stuff even though he has a few bigger machines as well as a TIG.

The 3/16” rating is a single pass, no weave rating, and on my handler 135 appears to be the rating for .024” wire also. I know that it will do better with .030 and .035” based on some recent experimenting (I never bothered trying before since the consensus on the welding forums seems to be that the little welders are tuned to work the best with .024” and performance drops with .030 and .035, but I can tell you for a fact it does not).

Even with .024” wire you can still go MUCH thicker with a weave or multiple passes. As a test we tried 3 welds in some ˝” steel plate, 2 with .024” ER70S6 in my handler 135, one weaving the bead to fill the V’ed notch and the second running multiple beads to do the same, and then the 3rd one was run with .030 or .035” wire in a Miller 251. We took all 3 pieces, sliced them in half ground them flat and then proceed to do some destructive testing. Not only were we not able to tell the difference once they were ground (I’m sure we could have figured out which was which by acid etching), but all 3 were effectively the same with the destructive testing (they all failed away from the weld after it was bent a more then 2x)